A model Christian and patriot

Fr Ireneusz Skubis

Bishop Albin Malysiak passed away. He was 94 years old. He was very friendly towards 'Niedziela' till the end of his life. I remember Bishop Malysiak saying, 'You are doing a good 'Niedziela.' You are doing a good weekly. I support 'Niedziela.' Wherever I preach I encourage people to read it.' I was thankful to Bishop Albin for his opinion and firm support for our weekly.

Bishop Albin Malysiak was a man of huge knowledge and reliability in thinking. He loved the Church and Poland, these two superior values that are also close to 'Niedziela.' He knew that our paper was faithful to the Church whom we served for years, that we were close to all that the Holy Father and bishops taught. Bishop Malysiak often confirmed that. Thanks to that we could regard him as a mature friend.

Today I recollect Bishop Malysiak with great esteem. I appreciate his faithfulness to the Church and especially to the Krakow Church and his great shepherd - Cardinal Karol Wojtyla. He loved the Church and was concerned about the unfair accusations towards her, and despite his age he tried to serve her faithfully. He had many friends among the clergy and the laity. They all loved him for his wisdom, pastoral zeal and sense of humour. He showed great kindness towards people. He was open to all and at the same time he was sincere and reliable in his statements. These merits showed Bishop Albin as an ordinary and straightforward man. When his name was nominated for the Righteous Among the Nations medal he thought that what he had done was nothing extraordinary. He simply had to defend human life and saving Jews was something natural for him. First of all, he valued his priesthood, which was also his obligation to conduct good and generous activities.

Last year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of his Episcopal Ordination. However, his celebration fell during the Smolensk tragedy. That's why we could not celebrate his jubilee fully because the event of 10 April 2010 disturbed the daily public and social order in Poland. Today we would like as if to make up for the lost celebration. Bishop Malysiak was strongly involved in the matters concerning his Homeland. He experienced them all. His approach towards these matters was always reliable, sincere. He could not stand hypocrisy. He did not stand anything that smelt of immorality. We can say that he was a great Pole. Today we are bidding farewell to Bishop Albin Malysiak, a wonderful priest, man who served God, Homeland and people all his life. All people loved him. John Paul II, the whole Polish Bishops' Conference, priests and the religious loved him. When we, the board of the weekly 'Niedziela,' are to bid farewell to Bishop Malysiak we do it with great reflection that our great friend is leaving us, someone we should remember and pray for. We want to have as many friends like Bishop Albin, as possible, also among the bishops. They can be witnesses of our faithfulness and loyalty towards the Church and Homeland. May the late Bishop Albin Malysiak be a wonderful witness for 'Niedziela' at present and in its history.

"Niedziela" 31/2011

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl